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Warrior Work
Week 51
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The Tao of Humility
By Peter Hill
“Humility is knowing your place. Humiliation is being put in your place.”
Mitch Fuller Rb.E.
“Humility is the essential characteristic of the true warrior. Without it, he (she) is an ugly brute who has no place in society.”
C.W. Nicol ‘Moving Zen, Karate as a way to Gentleness”
I recently attended an ethics workshop put on by The Williams Institute, a non profit organization whose mission is to “build ethics in
community”, www.ethics-twi.org. Interesting, one of the sessions was on ‘humility ethics’, a concept that Donald Blumenfield-Jones, an
Associate Professor of Curriculum, Ethics, and Education from Arizona State University presented. Much of what I write here is an
integration of what I learned in that two day workshop and from other diverse sources.
Humility is, in many ways, a very abstract concept. Take a moment and see if you can come up with a personal definition of what it is
for you. If you were to paint a picture of the idea of humility, what would it be? The kanji for humility combines the characters for ‘state of
mind’ and ‘truth’. Emmanuel Levinas wrote in his book, “Totality and Infinity” that the “I” is irreducibly alone and unique in the world. When
your state of mind is clear and your awareness is at a point that realizes that truth then an awareness of ethics manifests that ethics (how
we treat one another) is something that occurs between two people who are each irreducibly alone and unique in the world and are more
then the roles they play, the clothes they wear, the groups/tribes they belong to. In fact, they become ‘infinite’.
The study of the ethics that occurs between two infinite beings and how they treat or relate to one another begins with the same
realization that the study of tai chi and yoga is embarked upon. As Blumenfield-Jones states, “It begins with the humility of what I cannot
know or even hope to know”. We have this concrete manifestation of the infinite that we utilize to seek to raise our awareness of, learn to
articulate or put into words the feelings and body/energy/spirit knowledge (sensible knowledge) that seems to resist language and take
actions that promote and take responsibility for the Other Infinite Beings and they in turn take responsibility for us. Jeannette’s story in this
newsletter exemplifies the connection that occurs when we become open to that infinity in one another and the roles that we play, in her
story, the roles of doctor, nurse, patient, son, mom, fall off of us and we stand before and within that infinity of being. That understanding
and realization gives birth to the other elements of ethics regarding justice, virtue, obligation and duty, utilitarian results and care or
equalitarian practices.
It is so easy to wake up and start the treadmill of the roles we play. Starting the day with some tai chi, chi gung or yoga play puts us in
touch with the energy of our being, reminds us of our unique experiential process of being and makes us mindful that the Others we
encounter are on a similar journey and we can learn from each of their unique paths as they can learn from ours. Starting from that place
of humility allows us to treat the Others with respect, kindness and patience and to allow that for ourselves as well.
I leave you this month with two contemplations that can help you remember your unique place in this space and time
“When I, nature’s servant, stand alone at night and gaze upon the stars that reign over the darkness of this small planet, I marvel at how
small am I, nature’s servant.”
anonymous
“For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you
must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince
you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while; in fact, too short for witnessing all
the marvels of it.”
Carlos Castaneda – ‘Journey to Ixtlan”
By Peter Hill, Copyright 2004
www.getittogether.net
www.worldtaichi.com
Warrior Week Home >>
Week 51
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tao of Humility
By Peter Hill
“Humility is knowing your place. Humiliation is being put in your place.”
Mitch Fuller Rb.E.
“Humility is the essential characteristic of the true warrior. Without it, he (she) is an ugly brute who has no place in society.”
C.W. Nicol ‘Moving Zen, Karate as a way to Gentleness”
I recently attended an ethics workshop put on by The Williams Institute, a non profit organization whose mission is to “build ethics in
community”, www.ethics-twi.org. Interesting, one of the sessions was on ‘humility ethics’, a concept that Donald Blumenfield-Jones, an
Associate Professor of Curriculum, Ethics, and Education from Arizona State University presented. Much of what I write here is an
integration of what I learned in that two day workshop and from other diverse sources.
Humility is, in many ways, a very abstract concept. Take a moment and see if you can come up with a personal definition of what it is
for you. If you were to paint a picture of the idea of humility, what would it be? The kanji for humility combines the characters for ‘state of
mind’ and ‘truth’. Emmanuel Levinas wrote in his book, “Totality and Infinity” that the “I” is irreducibly alone and unique in the world. When
your state of mind is clear and your awareness is at a point that realizes that truth then an awareness of ethics manifests that ethics (how
we treat one another) is something that occurs between two people who are each irreducibly alone and unique in the world and are more
then the roles they play, the clothes they wear, the groups/tribes they belong to. In fact, they become ‘infinite’.
The study of the ethics that occurs between two infinite beings and how they treat or relate to one another begins with the same
realization that the study of tai chi and yoga is embarked upon. As Blumenfield-Jones states, “It begins with the humility of what I cannot
know or even hope to know”. We have this concrete manifestation of the infinite that we utilize to seek to raise our awareness of, learn to
articulate or put into words the feelings and body/energy/spirit knowledge (sensible knowledge) that seems to resist language and take
actions that promote and take responsibility for the Other Infinite Beings and they in turn take responsibility for us. Jeannette’s story in this
newsletter exemplifies the connection that occurs when we become open to that infinity in one another and the roles that we play, in her
story, the roles of doctor, nurse, patient, son, mom, fall off of us and we stand before and within that infinity of being. That understanding
and realization gives birth to the other elements of ethics regarding justice, virtue, obligation and duty, utilitarian results and care or
equalitarian practices.
It is so easy to wake up and start the treadmill of the roles we play. Starting the day with some tai chi, chi gung or yoga play puts us in
touch with the energy of our being, reminds us of our unique experiential process of being and makes us mindful that the Others we
encounter are on a similar journey and we can learn from each of their unique paths as they can learn from ours. Starting from that place
of humility allows us to treat the Others with respect, kindness and patience and to allow that for ourselves as well.
I leave you this month with two contemplations that can help you remember your unique place in this space and time
“When I, nature’s servant, stand alone at night and gaze upon the stars that reign over the darkness of this small planet, I marvel at how
small am I, nature’s servant.”
anonymous
“For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you
must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince
you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while; in fact, too short for witnessing all
the marvels of it.”
Carlos Castaneda – ‘Journey to Ixtlan”
By Peter Hill, Copyright 2004
www.getittogether.net
www.worldtaichi.com
Warrior Week Home >>